From the young singers of the Merola Opera program to a free gig by the East Bay’s own Fantastic Negrito and the classic musical “Evita,” there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond.
Here’s a partial roundup.
Fantastic Negrito — for free
It’s that time of the year when free concerts are available all over the Bay Area. Just remember that not all free concerts are the same. At some series there’s no admission cost but you still need a ticket to get in. So if you hopped in your car on Sunday and drove to, say, San Francisco’s Parkside District to catch the groovy L.A. band Chicano Batman as part of the free Stern Grove Festival, you’d find out that you need a ticket to get into the performance and that no more tickets are available (unless you buy one of the pricey picnic tables there). We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again – always check an event’s website before going to the event. The site should have such information as how to get there, what you can bring in, what the parking/public transportation deal is and what kind of band you’ll be listening to. After all, there’s no point in catching a Van Halen cover band if you can’t stand Van Halen. That said, there is one show on Friday that we feel is definitely worth looking into. At the Point Richmond Music Summer Festival, the East Bay’s own Fantastic Negrito brings his high-octane and emotional brand of blues, R&B and soul to the stage. The artist has been on roll since reviving his stalled career in 2014, capturing NPR’s initial Tiny Desk Concert Contest and winning Grammy Awards for three consecutive albums.
Details: 5:30 p.m. June 28; Washington Avenue at Park Place, downtown Point Richmond; free; pointrichmondmusic.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Classical picks: Merola, Mahler take center stage
The young singers of the Merola Opera program take center stage this week; as does Mahler at San Francisco Symphony, and a concert by Jake Shimabukuro are also on the schedule.
Merola sings: Named for legendary San Francisco Opera impresario Gaetano Merola, the acclaimed Merola Opera program has been training singers, directors, and other opera artists for decades — and showcasing them as they launch their careers. The company introduces its current roster of 29 artists tonight with a vocal chamber recital titled “The Song as Drama.” Additional events featuring the Merolini include a Schwabacher Summer Concert (July 11 and 13); a full production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” directed by star soprano and Merola alum Patricia Racette (Aug. 1 and 3); and the always-dazzling Merola Grand Finale (Aug. 17).
Details: Performances at various San Francisco locations; $10-$35; merola.org.
Salonen conducts Mahler: San Francisco Symphony music director Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to Mahler this week, in a concert featuring the composer’s Symphony No. 3 in D minor, with special guests mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor, the Pacific Boychoir Academy, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, led by Jenny Wong.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. June Sunday; $39-$169; sfsymphony.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Don’t rebuke the uke!
The ukulele might not carry the musical stature of, say, Jimmy Page’s doubled-necked Gibson guitar, but some awfully talented people are playing it nowadays. And you can hear some of them this weekend. At the free Yerba Buena Gardens Festival on Saturday, the popular SF Uke Jam returns, featuring several renowned players including Hawaii’s Cynthia Lin and the Bay Area musician known as Ukulenny. The jam will dabble in a wide-array of musical styles, from jazz to pop to reggae and of course Hawaiian. There’s also a sing- and strum-along, so uke players of all types can take part in the fun.
Details: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 29; Great Lawn at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Mission Street, between Third and Fourth streets; free; ybgfestival.org.;
Meanwhile, all-world ukulele talent Jake Shimabukuro brings his Tradewinds and Rainbows tour to two Bay Area shows this weekend: 8 p.m. Friday at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore ($25-$120; livermorearts.org) and 7 p.m. Saturday at Meritage Resort, Napa, part of Blue Note Summer Sessions concert series; ($49-$99, subject to change; www.bluenotejazz.com/napa).
— Bay City News Foundation
Nature rules at Cal Academy
Do you hold a deep thirst for the natural history of this great state we live in? Then haul your brain over to “California: State of Nature,” the newest permanent exhibition at San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences.
The all-female-designed exhibit has scads of fresh, native treasures divided into the categories of forests, coasts, deserts and cities. The supposed last grizzly bear in California, Monarch, is back on display for the first time since 2012. Two augmented-reality experiences explore the fascinating lives of condors and bobcats. The popular earthquake simulator Shake House has been retrofitted to focus on natural structures like beehives and bird nests.
There’s even a Smell-o-Vision version of an arboreal forest.
It’s a scientific feast for all five senses under one roof (which in this case, is a grass-covered living roof).
Details: Through September; open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco; timed tickets available, prices vary and are subject to change; calacademy.org.
— John Metcalfe, Staff
Don’t cry for this musical
“Evita” is not one of those musicals that needs much of an introduction. It was created by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to be a big hit and got to that status fairly directly. Webber and Rice followed the same path with “Evita” as they did with “Jesus Christ Superstar” – the music was first released as a rock concept album and then brought to the stage. It debuted in London’s West End in 1978 and captured the Olivier Award for best musical, then opened on Broadway a year later and captured the Tony Award in the same category. OK, the film adaptation endured years of delays and setbacks and opened to mixed reviews, but overall, the show based on the life of Eva Peron, the iconic second wife of Argentine president Juan Peron, remains a show business classic. The stage show was revived in 2006 and 2012 and has seen numerous tours and productions. So it’s easy to overlook “Evita” whenever it plays, except for the fact that its superior soundtrack and made-for-the-stage rags-to-riches story are well worth seeing. And you have the chance to do that when San Francisco Playhouse presents the musical beginning this weekend. Directed by company artistic director and co-founder Bill English and starring Sophia Alawi in the title role, “Evita” runs in previews Thursday through Tuesday, with the main run July 3 through Sept. 7.
Details: All performances at S.F. Playhouse, 450 Post St., San Francisco; $30-$125; go to www.sfplayhouse.org.
— Bay City News Foundation